In the back of a dining room in Cole’s French Dip downtown, an unmarked door leads into the celebrated LA cocktail bar the Varnish.
The bar has a smokey, old-timey atmosphere, in the speakeasy style. Its beautiful décor—lots of tile and brass, and low, yellow lighting—recall an LA of ages long past.
Eric Alperin, co-owner and chief bartender of the Varnish, is credited as one of the forefathers of the burgeoning mixology movement in Los Angeles. Speakeasies with complex drink menus seem to be popping up everywhere, but Alperin is no follower. He’s truly an OG in the mixology game.
He loves drinks like the old fashioned and the sazerac—simple but finely honed concoctions that are meant, as he puts it, “to be enjoyed with our senses.”
We recently caught up with him to talk about how he got involved with the business, LA’s cocktail scene and his favorite hangouts.
Where are you from?
New York. I was born at Lenox Hospital, grew up on 23rd Street and then my parents moved me to the burbs about a half hour away. Then I went to Rutgers and went to school for theater. So, obviously, I’ve been in the food and beverage industry for a long time. Most of us in theater have to find jobs in this business.
With reference to acting, you have kind of a multiple personality. If you Google “Eric Alperin,” all the Varnish stuff comes up. But if you Google “Eric Alperin Actor” the results are all about your acting and producing projects.
I wanted to come out here to try my chance at Hollywood and I thought, I’ll just open a place when I’m out there. That became all encompassing and kind of took over my life. It’s been about six years now, but it’s gone very well.
So which are you first, an Actor or a bar owner?
I’m a businessman. I do see myself going back into the arena of acting and producing. That’s something I very much want to get back into.
I’m of the belief that you have to choose your mountains and choose them well. Because you’re gonna get halfway up and look down and think, “holy shit what was I thinking?” Even with stuff you love.
In that regard I’m very proud of Varnish, I’m proud of this mountain that I’ve climbed. I’m in a position where I’m opening a few more businesses, one in Austin and two more here in LA and I have a bunch of other projects in line.
But originally I just wanted to open up one bar, so hopefully I’ll be able to go back to doing some of the stuff I’ve written.
What would you say about the development of the LA food and drink scene in comparison to some other American cities?
We knew because of our clientele in New York that we would have people here that would be into us, but we really had no idea about the burgeoning community that existed here in the culinary and hospitality world.
I came out here just to open a bar and then I met all these people who were interested in their chosen fields, and in nightlife, as well. It felt like there was a movement starting, there’s a great community of people and it doesn’t matter what school or method you hail from, everyone is very eager and helpful.
I feel like before that LA was pretty virgin in the cocktail world—and the food world, as well. But now there are a lot of incredible places to eat. I think it was time for a cultural renaissance in LA, and it’s still happening.
I think people now think of LA as a destination for food, and we’re all a part of that.
Where do you like to hang out?
I think Abbott Kinney in Venice has some great stuff.
Where do you eat and drink there?
There’s a new place called Feed that my friend Marcos did the program for. It’s all organic and biodynamic.
There’s a beer and wine bar called the Other Room and another place called Local 1205. There’s also Gjelina takeaway. Grab something from Gjelina Takeaway and go to the liquor store across the street and then go to the beach and have lunch.
Outside of eating and drinking, what do you do here in LA?
You know what’s incredible is that we live in a city where it’s really convenient to get into nature.
I went with my brother up to Lake Arrowhead just the other day. We were snowboarding in 80 degree weather. All of a sudden only 90 minutes away we were in some of the most incredible mountainside in the world. That’s why California is so beautiful, and you can’t take that for granted.
To return to talking about cocktails for a second, you mentioned in another interview your affinity for the sazerac, which is the iconic New Orleans cocktail. What’s the cocktail of Los Angeles?
I don’t think here at The Varnish we define what the “one” LA cocktail would be. I think what we’ve done is give Los Angeles a sense of backbone in terms of cocktails.
We’re very old school, and we think you should be able to have old fashions, Manhattans and martinis in this great city. So I don’t know, a palm tree cocktail?
I think it’s good that the popularity of drinks like the old fashion is eclipsing things like the cosmopolitan or the very chi-chi Hollywood drinks.
I think the fact that ladies now will come up to the bar and order an Old Fashioned is exciting. I think it says you can lead people to a better place.
Find more Los Angeles bars with the LosAngeles.com bars directory.
